1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to rubber compositions and more specifically to tire treads and other articles formed from rubber compositions having modified petroleum hydrocarbon resins.
2. Description of the Related Art
Since fuel economies and the need to preserve the environment have become priorities, it has become more desirable to produce rubber compositions having good mechanical properties and good rheological properties so that they can be processed in the form of rubber compositions useful for the manufacture of various semi-finished products, such as treads, that themselves are then useful for manufacturing tires.
It is often found that one performance characteristic of a tire can be improved by using a new rubber composition within the tire, such as, for example, improving the tire's endurance or its rolling resistance by using a new tread compound. However, it is well known to those having ordinary skill in the art that an improvement in one performance characteristic of a tire is often obtained by allowing a reduction in one or more other performance characteristics of the tire. Therefore there is often a tradeoff between improving one performance characteristic of a tire on the one hand while worsening a different performance characteristic of the tire on the other hand. One example of such a tradeoff may be to utilize a tread material that improves the grip of the tire on dry or damp ground while worsening the wear of the tire.